What's Wrong with Ianto Jones?
by Torchwood456
Summary: Jack has noticed a slight change in Ianto since he returned from his journey with Martha and the Doctor, where he'd experienced the year that never was. It wasn't until a confusing, for Jack, and frustrating, for Ianto, that he started to put together what was going on.


**This is set in series 2 of Torchwood, after Jack had returned from his trip with the Doctor and Martha.**

Jack had noticed quite a change in Ianto. He seemed to be more tired, yet, at the same time, he also seemed much happier which Jack couldn't complain about. Ianto would also disappear for hours on end but that was to be expected, considering he spent most of his time in the archives and Jack dismissed it, being able to see reason behind it. The one thing which did worry Jack though was the fact that Ianto kept getting the dates muddled up and coming up with random words which would often surprise Jack. Words that were not what Jack would have expected to have been in Ianto's vocabulary yet sounded surprisingly similar at the same time. On this particular normal Cardiff day, however, Ianto confused Jack much more than before.

"I've got the coffee you wanted, sir," Ianto informed Jack as he carried the mug into Jack's office. Jack, who had been sat at his desk, reading through reports, much to his obvious dismay, looked up in surprise when Ianto appeared.

"Won't it be cold now?" Jack asked as Ianto placed the mug on his desk.

"I've just made it. It's still hot," Ianto replied, confused as to why Jack was acting so strange about a cup of coffee. His eyes then landed on a light purple cup. "What's that?" He asked, pointing at the cup. He already knew the answer. The cup was similar to the many cups that Ianto had cleared away after his first week at Torchwood Cardiff. Before he had successfully convinced Jack to allow him to work in the building, the team had had no other way to sustain their caffeine needs than to go and fetch them from a shop. It looked, to Ianto, as if they had returned to their former ways.

"That was a cup of coffee. Tosh went to get them," Jack replied as he took some of the coffee Ianto had made. He held the mug up and spoke, wording the next sentence as sensitively as he could manage. "I asked for this cup of coffee four hours ago."

"Four hours?" Ianto repeated in surprise, adding more questions to Jack's confused mind. It seemed to Jack that Ianto had completely lost track of time. Although he knew that Ianto didn't mind completing the work that he had in the archives, he could not believe that four hours would fly that quickly when down there.

"Yes, four hours," Jack nodded then frowned when he looked at Ianto, adding another thing to his list of 'ways Ianto has confused him today.' "Why have you changed your shirt?" Ianto looked down at his red shirt and uttered a small groan of frustration.

"I was wearing a white shirt, wasn't I?" He said slowly as he ran his hand through his hair, something Jack also hadn't seen Ianto do before but, once again, he recognised the movement. He just couldn't put his finger on it and it was irritating him. It was on the tip of his tongue, he just couldn't push his memory back far enough to remember just who Ianto was reminding him of more recently. "I spilt some coffee on my other shirt," Ianto continued before Jack replied. "So I changed it!" Jack just nodded slowly, the speed at which Ianto had come out with that excuse came across to him as a little dodgy.

Ianto who, from where he was standing, could see that Jack was heavily thinking about something, decided that it was best for him to leave as quickly as possible before Jack could pick up on something else that he had messed up. "Anyway, I better get back to work. Allons-y and all that!" The words had escaped his mouth before his brain could prevent them from slipping out. Even before Jack had said anything, Ianto had realised his mistake.

"What did you just say?" Jack asked when Ianto turned to leave in an attempt to avoid answering the question that he assumed would be upon Jack's lips anytime soon. Ianto gritted his teeth in annoyance before turning back to Jack in order to speak.

"Allons-y. It's French for let's go," Ianto informed him, as casually as he could manage, so not to create any further suspicions during the short journey he was currently in the process of: subtly backing away, making his way to the door.

"Allons-y?" Jack repeated in a similar tone to Ianto's when he had earlier repeated 'four hours'. Leaning back in his chair, Jack's concern for the younger man was growing quite a lot. "Are you sure you're okay, Ianto.

"Oh, yes! I'm fantastic." Ianto said, smiling. His smile quickly faded, and, if his boss had not been right in front of him (already assuming that he was mad), Ianto would have happily kicked himself. In fact, he was on the verge of not caring about what Jack thought of him and kicking himself anyway.

From the look on Jack's face, Ianto could tell that Jack had definitely recognised that tone and was now leaning forwards in his chair, watching Ianto closely and intensively. Something that Ianto, who was still slowly backing away towards the door, had to admit was a little bit unnerving, especially when he was trying hard not to mess anything else up during, what he hoped, was the last few seconds he would be in Jack's office for. "Oh, yes?" Jack repeated what Ianto had said for the second time in their frustrating and confusing conversation.

"Look, it just kind of fitted in with what I was saying." With that, Ianto, who at this point was fed up of backing away, subconsciously worrying about whether he was about to walk into something and make a fool of himself, turned and hurried out of the room.

Jack was left alone in his office, mug in hand. Leaning back in his chair, with a confused look on his face, he kept his eyes on the door that Ianto had just left from. From that conversation, Jack had picked up on the fact that there was definitely something wrong with Ianto Jones. Now, he just had to work out what it was.

"Allons-y?" Ianto muttered to himself when he was out of Jack's earshot, and hurrying through the hub, his final destination already planned in his head as he had a quiet, so not to disturb Owen, Tosh and Gwen, go at himself. "Oh, yes?" When he finally reached the archives, he finally had the chance to do something that he had been wanting to do ever since he had left Jack's office. With a lot of force, he hit his head against the wall in annoyance. "Idiot."

"Ah, Ianto Jones! Ready to go?" A voice came from behind him. Ianto looked behind him, at the figure leaning against the doorframe. A grin appeared across his face.


End file.
